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Myra Kraft helped create a football family in Foxboro

FOXBORO — For the franchise, she was more than a typical NFL owners’ wife. She was part den mother to young families, part moral compass for the team and a true partner to her husband, Patriots’ owner Robert Kraft.

When Myra Kraft passed away Wednesday morning at the age of 68 after a battle with cancer, she left an impressive legacy, one that touched people and players throughout the organization, and went beyond the game of football.

“On behalf of the entire Patriots football operation, we mourn the passing of Myra Kraft,” said Patriots head coach Bill Belichick. “As much support as her quiet but unmistakable presence provided us in the competitive arena and as much as I personally will miss her warm embraces before and after each game, Myra shined brightest in a much broader arena. In the humanitarian arena, her generosity through philanthropy was admired and appreciated by all.

“She made a permanent impression on hundreds of coaches, players, staff and our families as a model of grace, strength and giving. Myra’s vision and example will impact and remain very much with our team forever.”

As the story goes, she had to be convinced by her husband that the purchase of the team was a good idea. In the early 1990s, the Patriots were a bit of a mess. They were playing in a dilapidated venue, and were universally accorded as one of the worst franchises in all of sports. Yet her husband purchased the team for the then-record price of $172 million.

She set about acclimating herself to the world of pro football, and one of her first one-on-ones was with a young player named Troy Brown.

“My thoughts and prayers are with Mr. Kraft and the entire Kraft family,” Brown said Wednesday. “We have lost a beautiful and kind person who has helped many with all her charitable works. I remember fondly the first time I met her at my second training camp. She stopped by to say a few kind words of encouragement and a special relationship grew from there. She may have been small in stature but she had the biggest heart. We are all better people for having known her.”

According to many players, her impact was really felt when it came to creating a family atmosphere for the players, particularly the younger ones who were often strangers in a strange land the first time they arrived in Foxboro.

“She embraced me and my wife and made us feel like one of her own,” said former quarterback Drew Bledsoe. “We were living far away from home and the time we spent with Myra and Robert was so special in the way that they made us feel like we were a member of their family.”

“Myra was a wonderful woman,” said defensive lineman Vince Wilfork. “My wife and I cared about her deeply. It goes beyond football. It goes to what matters in life, being able to build relationships and make a difference. Mr. Kraft and I spoke a lot over the years about ‘Momma,’ and I hurt for him as I know the love he has for her. I will miss her giving me a hug and kiss before every game, but in my heart she will be there.”

“Mrs. Kraft was absolutely a wonderful, genuine, strong and caring lady, who was as in tune with the affairs of the Patriots organization — not only behind the doors of the organization, but beyond those doors,” said defensive lineman Ty Warren. “I will always remember her for going above and beyond to know the players and their wives. She was the biggest fan in and outside the building. I see her in my mind right now standing up in the Kraft box cheering harder and louder than anyone else in that box. She, I think, is a very big reason why the Patriot organization is a family-type setting.”

“I met Myra for the first time shortly after I was drafted and have always felt a connection with her,” said Willie McGinest, who was selected by the team in the first round of the 1994 draft. “She had a motherly influence that I always respected and appreciated. Whenever I saw her, she would always give me a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. It was so sweet. In terms of her physical size, she was one of the smallest people in my life, but also the one with the biggest heart.

“We never talked about football. Our conversations were always about my family. It was as if it were her mission in life to check on the well being of others. She taught me a lot about the importance of giving back in your community.”

Through the creation of the New England Patriots Charitable Foundation — which she helped establish shortly after the Kraft family purchased the franchise in 1994 — every player now has a clause in his contract they will take part in 10 charitable events per year. Those community events helped establish the Patriots as something more than just a football team, helping touch the lives of people who would never set foot in Gillette Stadium.

"Myra Kraft was the matriarch of the Patriots organization and the driving force behind all of our charitable initiatives,” said Patriots executive director of community affairs Andre Tippett. “Upon completion of any project, her first question was always ‘How can we do more?' Her impact locally and globally was immeasurable. The philanthropic community has lost one of its brightest stars.”

“It is a sad day. It is a sad day to be a Patriot and a sad day in Massachusetts and beyond,” said running back Kevin Faulk. “She gave so much to this community and this area. She meant so much to the sporting world and to all of the charitable causes she worked so tirelessly for. She had such a huge influence on shaping people to work hard for their communities and work to make a difference.”

“[She] has been a mainstay in the community and the Patriots family,” said linebacker Jerod Mayo. “Her giving spirit along with her countless random acts of kindness and philanthropy will continue to be a legacy to be remembered.”

Her loss was not only felt in New England, but across the NFL. On a day where owners and players were meeting in hopes of putting the finishing touches on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement — one that the Patriots’ owner played a large role in crafting — those on both sides took time to remember her.

"On behalf of all NFL players, I want to offer my deepest sympathies to Bob and the Kraft family," said NFLPA chief DeMaurice Smith. "I know how much he loves Myra. We mourn her loss and the entire player family is with heavy hearts today. We mourn her loss today and my heart goes out to a great man and his family. Myra will be missed."

“To be honest, this was shocking news — I never saw it coming,” said Patriots player rep Matt Light, speaking to reporters in Washington, D.C. during a break in the sessions. “My thoughts and prayers go out to the family. I know how much of an influence she had shaping that locker room and the type of guys we had in there. That came from her. I always admired all her work in the community and within the team. She really created a family atmosphere. This news is a little overwhelming to tell you the truth.”

Kraft was not present at the owners’ meeting in Atlanta on Wednesday. Patriots team president Jonathan Kraft will reportedly attend Thursday's session in place of his father.

The team announced Wednesday that public services for Kraft will be on Friday at 10 a.m. at Temple Emmanuel, located at 385 Ward Street, Newton Centre, MA 02459. In lieu of flowers, the Kraft family has asked that donations be made in Myra’s name at the Myra Kraft Giving Back Scholarship Fund at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Boston.

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